Photography………my passion !

Reference manual of your camera !

whenever you buy a camera you joyfully open the box ; in fact YouTube is replete with thousands of videos on unboxing of this one or that one, which includes variety of cameras available in the market.

The moment you open the box, you rummage through the box and the first thing you take out is always the camera. After savoring the feel of brand new camera in your hands and feasting your eyes on brand new , shining camera, then only you look at other things such as its charger, usb cables, warranty card, memory cards……………however no body notices a booklet that is called instruction manual…..The very first page in it says that read this manual carefully before operating the camera……Nobody takes it seriously……..it is just tossed out….perhaps on the bed on which you opened the camera box……and after you put in the memory card in your camera and your hands start itching to click the first shot on the new glitzy gizmo you have just acquired……in the heat of the moment you forget about the manual and it lies their forlorn…….somebody comes in and crams it in the box and keeps the box on the upper shelf somewhere in your home. From this moment the neglect of the camera manual starts…….!

Friends, your camera is in fact a small computer and there are hundreds of little facilities available in your camera. I do not think that there is a person who has mastered each and every setting in the camera……including the employees of the camera company which makes the camera. It is virtually impossible to remember each and every setting your camera provides and tries to aid you in clicking better photos.

Hence your instruction manual is a valuable piece of your imaging set-up……do not disregard it at any cost……..I teach photography and in my class i exhort my students to treat the manual with utmost respect it deserves……I even go to the extent of recommending them to keep it on side-table near your bed….and take a vow that you will not sleep unless you read at least two pages of the instruction manual everyday. Slowly you become camera-friendly…..and instinctively know how to fiddle with the settings, to get very good pics.

Now days, camera companies are saving on printing cost, and are making these manuals available on the net. So if you do not find the manual in the box, do not worry……..Google can do the job and get you the manual…..download it as PDF or better still get it printed…….nothing like a physical book….in your hands while reclining on the bed.

Ignore the instruction manual at your own peril…….many a time it saves you…….frustration of missing important memories you preserve as images……!!